There is no Drug in my Cooking! Chapter 20

"You look so focused, do you have something on your mind?" Ichiyo asked with concern as he placed several dishes in front of his fiancée and sat across from her, noticing her complex expression. Little did he know, his question startled her.

Alice hadn't even noticed when Ichiyo sat down or served her food, and reflexively waved her hand to cover something up when she heard his question. However, Ichiyo didn't pay it any mind. Everyone needs a little personal space, even the most intimate people, and giving each other some space is also a way to build trust.

"Do you like this flower?" Ichiyo asked, looking at the hell's flower, which seemed much more energetic than when he had just drawn it. "You've been observing it for a long time."

He hasn't fully studied this flower yet, but he can confirm that it cannot survive for long without the underworld's soil. When he transplanted it into a small vase yesterday, it seemed to be struggling. But to his surprise, it became lively today. Ichiyo was thoughtful as he thought about the flow of people in the store today and the girls who had eaten the drugged dishes he had made.

Some flowers need soil, water, and sunshine to grow, while others may be born in the darkness but are so beautiful because they are nourished by the hearts and emotional memories of past souls.

"It's fine, but it's still rare to see someone grow Lycoris," Alice replied absently, occasionally glancing at Ichiyo's cheek and then focusing on picking vegetables. "It's novel to see it occasionally.

"I prefer its other name, Bianhua," Ichiyo shook his head. "It sounds better and is more accurate. This is a breed of flower that a friend gave me. It's still being cultivated and needs improvement. If you like it, I'll give you some in the future if I have the opportunity."

(p.s. According to legend, the Underworld is the only place where the Bianhua flower blooms. As a soul crosses the River of Forgetfulness, it forgets everything from its past and all that is left behind blooms into these beautiful and bewitching flowers.)

Ichiyo thought that his fiancee was perfect in every way, except that she was easily distracted and too shy when they were alone together. However, he didn't see this as a major flaw.

As they continued to eat dinner, Ichiyo watched his fiancee, who was focused on eating rice with chopsticks and hadn't noticed anything unusual. He chuckled and proactively helped her serve some vegetables and snake meat.

Completion rate 83% (Warmth)

Compared to the last time he entertained her, this time his cooking skills had improved a lot. He didn't reach the completion rate of 100%, which would be a masterpiece, but he also elevated the flavor of the dish to at least 80%.

Ichiyo hadn't been idle during this time. As a professional in the culinary field with a system related to cooking, he couldn't help but actively absorb knowledge about cooking and practice. His arrogant sister-in-law had also been sincerely helping him learn new cooking skills. Under these circumstances, it would have been absurd if his cooking skills hadn't improved.

The dinner may have been plain, but it had a touch of warmth. Ichiyo had been in a pleasant mood throughout the meal. As for the seals on the back of his left hand that had been hot since noon, he was too lazy to pay attention to them.

Now was the time for him to enjoy being with Erina, his cute fiancee who was sitting across from him. Only an idiot would go play with spiders instead. If the spider was energetic enough to actively request teleportation, it was probably in good spirits and wouldn't die, so there was no need to worry too much.

After dinner, Alice proactively helped Ichiyo clean up the dishes and then stood in front of the counter. In a whisper, she said, "It's getting late. I'll go back first. Work hard, and if you can, if you meet Alice again, can you..."

There was another sentence afterward, asking him to tell "Alice" that she had come and that she knew "Alice" had come too. But in the end, she still couldn't bring herself to say it.

Wouldn't that make Erina feel embarrassed?

She just wanted her fiance to know that she wasn't his fiancee and wasn't trying to make Erina feel uncomfortable. At least, that's what she thought.

The girl didn't know why she thought that. Her thoughts were a mess and her mind was foggy, unable to express it clearly.

Ichiyo nodded understandingly. "Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret. After all, my sister-in-law is so arrogant. If she knew you specifically came here, she would definitely be upset. But she really cares about you. If you two sisters can, put aside some of your conflicts and talk things out. It can solve many problems. She's actually a good girl; she just doesn't know how to express her feelings."

Ichiyo didn't know what the conflicts or causes were between his sister-in-law and fiancee.

He only knew that his sister-in-law really liked his fiancee. After all, that night, her expression and attitude couldn't be faked. She was naturally a girl who couldn't act and wore her emotions on her face.

Logically, his sister-in-law was a severe siscon and could be considered a rival in love, but under normal circumstances, he would just let the matter go and not try to persuade the two sisters to reconcile.

However, he still couldn't bring himself to do that.

This girl is his fiancee, so even if his sister-in-law likes her, what of it?

If you like someone, you should pursue them openly and fearlessly. Why chase a girl if you're afraid of a challenge?

Besides, there's plenty of good yuri, it's just a shame it can't come true.

He didn't believe that the little sister could steal his fiancee away from him.

Based on what he had observed in the past few weeks, his fiancee was definitely not a lesbian and was not into yuri. She was just a genuinely shy and cute young girl with a normal sexual orientation.

Mr. Sakuraba's chances of winning were very high, he had the upper hand!

In this situation, how could he lose?

Alice looked up at her brother-in-law with a face that showed he understood everything, she replied with a helpless voice, "Well, then I'll go." As expected, the brother-in-law was the most pitiful one, completely unaware that he was being manipulated by Erina, the great demon king!

"Wait a minute!" Ichiyo called out to his fiancee, who was turning to leave and took out two heads of lettuce and a large box of packed snake meat that weighed about a kilogram from the fridge. He stuffed them into her arms.

"You know, I have a friend who likes to research and improve some ingredients. Although the yield isn't very high, the taste and quality are actually very good. Take some back with you as well. After all, you helped me out all day today, and our relationship might become distant if we're talking about money."

Ichiyo smiled and said, "Although it's only a few hundred meters from Totsuki Academy's gate, it's already dark. Do you need me to send you back?"

Alice hugged the lettuce and meat in her arms tightly, the cool temperature of the ingredients helping to clear her head. She quickly shook her head like a little rabbit.

She couldn't let her brother-in-law send her back. The risk was too high. What if someone saw them?

Even if no one saw them, the security guards on duty might see them and spread some bad rumors. No way!

"No need, it's really not far. There are streetlights, and this area is within Totsuki's security range. It's very safe. Please rest assured!" Bowing deeply, Alice turned and ran out of the pastry shop, determined not to stay any longer.

Her brother-in-law was too enthusiastic; she couldn't handle it on her own!

Ichiyo watched his fiancee running away and shrugged. It seems like his relationship with this girl hasn't made much progress yet. Well, he'll just have to keep trying. His goal for now is to get Erina to request for him to send her home willingly.

After all, she is the first girl to capture his heart in this lifetime.

Ichiyo acknowledges that he may not be the most monogamous person, but he also doesn't go around causing trouble. He believes that love should be mutual and while he may have a more open-minded approach to relationships, he only pursues those whom he has genuine feelings for. If he doesn't feel that way about someone, he is happy to simply be friends.